Unity in Diversity

Unity in diversity. It sounds so very divine. It has been rolled out as one of the highest values preserved in our society for decades.

According to the Canadian census, Canada has the highest per capita immigration rate in the world, incorporating large pockets of ethnic and nationalistic communities. When we speak of Canada we are confronted with three groups of people: the aboriginal peoples, the English and French groups, and the immigrants from various parts of the world. John Lock Kunz and Stuart Sykes say in a PRI Project, Cultural Diversity that “successive waves of immigration since the 1970s have made Canada ever more diverse in ethnicity, culture, religion, and language. As do most multicultural societies, Canada faces the challenge of respecting cultural differences while fostering shared citizenship, conferring rights while demanding responsibilities, and encouraging integration but not insisting on assimilation.


When we accommodate people coming into our churches both from Canada and from afar, we are faced with much of the same issues and struggles. People come into our churches with well established styles of worship, expectations adopted through locally colored preaching, all the while having cultural and nationalistic expectations. None of this is wrong in and of itself. What does happen though is unity in diversity has a tendency to segment and divide rather than gather and unify.

A little example might help here. While I watched the American political arena during the election of the current president, I became attuned to the emphasis being put on the possibility of electing an African American Democrat to the highest position in the United States. I noticed that his adversary was only referred to as an American Republican. There ended up two camps in the United States of America: the African Americans and the rest.

In the kingdom of God there is no such thing as them and us. Ok, in reference to the kingdom of darkness there definitely are us and them. This is clear and very important to distinguish the two. But when talking about the Heavenly Kingdom, we must resist distinguishing any one person or groups of persons. Salvation is for “whosever will.” As a result all of us are on equal footing and have equal rights.

The so-called diversity factor of ‘unity in diversity’ displaces the very core of Christianity. Diversity gets wrapped up in national dress. Diversity is exemplified by ethnic ritual and ceremony. Diversity is the stamp on one’s passport. Diversity is exemplified by the color of our skin. A little more closer to us, diversity can be traced to the American church scene in the types of worship (hymns in contrast to choruses and modern music), type of church affiliation (traditional, post modern, emerging, etc.), the type of preaching (grace, damnation, love), the type of service format (seeker friendly, short versus long, discipleship versus fellowship), and the interpretation of doctrine (Calvinism, Pentecostalism, Catholicism, charismatic), the age disparity of young and old who can’t worship together.

What are we really saying here? Diversity as defined loosely above, diverts one’s loyalty and commitment away from the core values of the Kingdom. Diversity in its boldest forms obscures the absolutes of Scripture and ultimately the character of God. How does this play out you would ask? Diversity marinates scripture and the character of God in a way that smothers the essence and exalts the natural more than the spiritual.

Unity in the Kingdom of God must rise out of the issues of God not earthly or human issues.

Scripture says that we are to keep the ‘unity of the Spirit’ with everything that lies within us. I believe that the Spirit should be the catalyst; the Holy Spirit is the unifying person of this age.

The Holy Spirit will unify all Christians around the person of Christ through salvation. The Holy Spirit will unify all Christians in the discipleship pathway of becoming like Christ. The Holy Spirit will unify all Christians by producing His fruit as we cling to the vine. The Holy Spirit will unify all Christians by fulfilling and bring the Kingdom of God into their everyday lives. The Holy Spirit will unify all Christians by demonstrating the power, the life and especially the Love of God in each life.

Any other means of unity has false bottom. Any other attempt to bring the diversity of nations, of tongues and of tribes together, although appearing honorable is natural and man-made.

Unity in diversity must be uniting God with the diversity of man. Only God can bring us together. Only God can change the heart and mind of man and have him chose to unite with others.

In heaven and the kingdom of God we are not be known for being an English Christian, or a Black African Christian, or a Caucasian Christian. We will be known simply as Christians after our brother the Lord Jesus Christ. Diversity must give place to true unity in Christ.